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Fantasy Favourites Read-a-thon–Percy Jackson Favourites

Hello! Finally, my first post during the read-a-thon! It’s been going a little slower than I would like, but it’s about quality, not quantity, right? (I’m sure you’re all nodding your heads right now. It’s nice that we’re all in agreement haha.) Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is the first book I’ve managed to finish and it was a really good book. I gave it four stars because I felt as though there was something missing that I couldn’t quite figure out–or maybe I was in a mood, it’s been one of those weeks–but it also had a comfortable feeling about it, if that makes sense? It was almost like settling in to read an old favourite but I’d never actually read it before this read-a-thon.

This post is about listing all my favourite things about the ‘Percy Jackson’ series (you can see Inge, from Of Wonderlands, post here). I have only read the first book and a little of the second book so far, so I’ll only be able to talk about my favourite things from them. Let the list begin!

The tone of the book. The books are told through Percy’s POV and I love how he tells you the story. It’s told with such humour and Riordan really engages the reader by using Percy as the narrator like this.

The friendship. It’s really sweet to see the friendships develop between the main characters and to watch them have each other’s back, even if they don’t always agree with each other–true friendship.

Mythology. Greek mythology–check. Chantelle happy–check. The inclusion of mythology and anything historic in books always makes me happy. I love seeing the various gods pop up and seeing the slightly different take each author has on the gods. Riordan, for example, used humour, which I love. Zeus in a pinstriped suit and Poseidon in shorts and a shirt covered in coconuts and parrots with a fisherman’s chair as his throne was a new version of the gods for me. I think I would have laughed at a giant Poseidon looking like that–it would be the total opposite of what I would be expecting.

Dionysus. Now, if you’ve read the books, you may be a little confused by this. Dionysus is a bit… Well, he’s a self-absorbed, arse. But, he’s a funny, self-absorbed, arse. I always seem to like the inclusion of a character whom isn’t really likeable but still makes you laugh. Dionysus, or Mr. D as he’s also known, is being punished–because he’s a brat–by his father in the form of having to be Camp Half-Blood Director. A job he does not enjoy.

Chapter titles. The chapter titles always caught me a little off guard. My reaction was often Huh? They make you laugh and want to continue reading to find out the meaning behind them. Some examples: “Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death; Grover Unexpectedly Loses His Trousers; I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom.”

Tyson. I’ve just been introduced to Tyson in the sequel Sea of Monsters, and he is adorable. He has one-liner moments that make me burst out laughing.

The bull must’ve been as surprised as I was, because before it could unleash a second blast, Tyson balled his fists and slammed them into the bull’s face. ‘BAD COW!’

I think that’s it… *Bursts into song* And those are some of my favourite things… Are those the right lyrics?

Have you read this series? What are your favourite things about it? Who else likes mythology? What are some of your favourite books involving mythology?